Achieving Success Through Innovation

This book investigates the genesis and success of innovation in the hospitality industry as detailed in over four dozen case studies. In many of the cases studies, the innovators themselves provide the insights into their innovative inspiration and the lessons learned from the way they brought their innovative ideas to life. The cases include innovations for improved customer service, stronger human resources, and new food service and lodging concepts. While updated technology forms the basis for many of the innovations, some of the cases focus specifically on technology improvements, with a particular focus on the use of technology as a mediator in the service value chain. With the passage of several years, the book shares the outcome of the innovative concepts—most of which continue to operate. The lessons presented will provide you a valuable perspective on success through innovation, whether you are operating in the hospitality industry or another business.

Innovation is the lifeblood of a growing businesses. Traditionally it means "a new idea, device, technique, or method," but increasingly it is now also referred to ideas that provide better solutions, meet the needs or even provide the answers to something not yet a problem. This book address areas such as collaboration, challenges for large and small organizations, measuring innovation and getting a return on your investment. It provides answers to questions such as, can you teach innovation? What are the different types of business model for innovation? Growing Business Innovation address areas such as collaboration, challenges for large and small organizations, measuring innovation and getting a return on your investment. No matter what stage, innovation needs nurturing, and this book will act as an invaluable guide with support and advice from authors who are themselves innovators. It provides answers to questions such as: Can you teach innovation? What are the different types of business model for innovation? Are there support services? Challenges for businesses Collaborate and protecting your IP AI as a spur to innovation Adapting your business to new thoughts, products and processes Getting a return on your investment

As the service sectors play an increasingly important role in all economies worldwide, service executives and professionals are well advised to recognize two main pathways to achieving sustainable success in services. The first path requires enhancing the strategic differentiation and operational excellence of their service enterprises; the second requires that these executives and their employees develop the knowledge and skills needed to achieve such success. Specifically, this book discusses actionable methodologies needed to generate creative ideas, including deciding on which ones to pursue; on how to justify projects financially; on how to manage the development projects for innovative services; and on how to reach out to customers and offer them superior service support.

Two experts show that innovation is a skill that can be learned and describe eight essential practices for achieving success. Innovation is the ruling buzzword in business today. Technology companies invest billions in developing new gadgets; business leaders see innovation as the key to a competitive edge; policymakers craft regulations to foster a climate of innovation. And yet businesses report a success rate of only four percent for innovation initiatives. Can we significantly increase our odds of success? In The Innovator's Way, innovation experts Peter Denning and Robert Dunham reply with an emphatic yes. Innovation, they write, is not simply an invention, a policy, or a process to be managed. It is a personal skill that can be learned, developed through practice, and extended into organizations. Denning and Dunham identify and describe eight personal practices that all successful innovators perform: sensing, envisioning, offering, adopting, sustaining, executing, leading, and embodying. Together, these practices can boost a fledgling innovator to success. Weakness in any of these practices, they show, blocks innovation. Denning and Dunham chart the path to innovation mastery, from individual practices to teams and social networks.

Presenting Planned Innovation--the market-tested, five-step paradigm that has been proven to increase the success rate of new-product ventures in more than 20 companies. This book covers all aspects of PI, including how to cultivate a lasting market orientation, how to formulate selection criteria that reflect strategic objectives and tactical goals, and how to assess positive and negative influences. 44 charts & diagrams.

The most successful people and companies constantly innovate. Whether they are at the bottom of the totem pole or in the C suite. And the most successful organizations and teams empower all their people to innovate? In great institutions, ideas for change don't come only from the top, they come from everyone. So how do they do it? In Silicon Valley and around the world, people are improving their careers and unlocking the genius of their teams through a Japanese management concept called nemawashi-or piecemeal consensus. In Meteoric, San Francisco-based entrepreneur, professor, and product manager, Adam Braus distills this new way to lead change into a simple five-step process. Braus tells engaging real-life stories from startups, small businesses, and large innovative companies to explain how individuals, teams, and companies can use this breakout method of career and business success. Meteoric is a complete course in a new and timeless way to lead that anyone can put into practice in their career, with their team, or at any organization.

As an acknowledged guru in the field of creativity and innovation, Arthur VanGundy has inspired businesses in a variety of industries to generate more original, cutting-edge ideas. Getting to Innovation is a detailed guide to achieving the critical first step in formulating creative and useful ideas–i.e., asking the right questions that define the challenges facing any organization. Readers will discover: * how to write positioning and rationale statements for each challenge * how to link together multiple objectives in priority frameworks * the top 10 techniques for generating creative ideas * tips for designing and running brainstorming retreats * advice on how to select the best ideas from the many that have been generated When it comes to true innovation, it’s not formulating the great ideas, but asking the right questions that will ultimately lead to results. Getting to Innovation offers the tools to help every company tap into its most inspired thinking.

The Killer Questions Your Company Should Be Asking Generating and executing great ideas is the key to staying ahead in a rapidly changing world. It seems so basic. Why is it so hard to actually get right? According to innovation expert Phil McKinney, the real problem is that we're teaching people to ask the wrong questions about their businesses--or none at all. There has to be a better way. In Beyond the Obvious, McKinney will help you use his proven FIRE (Focus, Ideation, Rank, Execution) Method to dig deeper and get back to asking the right questions--the ones all companies must ask to survive. Full of real-world examples, this book will change the way you operate, innovate, and create, and it all begins with battle-tested questions Phil has gathered on note cards throughout his career. Shared for the first time here, these "Killer Questions" include: What are the rules and assumptions my industry operates under? What if the opposite were true? What will be the buying criteria used by my customer in 5 years? What are my unshakable beliefs about what my customers want? Who uses my product in ways I never anticipated? These questions will reframe the way you see your products, your customers, and the way the two interact. Whether you're a company of thousands or a lean startup, Beyond the Obvious will give you the skills and easy-to-follow plan you need to make both the revolutionary changes and nuanced tweaks required for success. Praise for Beyond the Obvious "Human beings are creatures of habit, so getting ourselves and our teams to think beyond the obvious is a challenge we face all the time. Phil McKinney is an innovation expert, and his killer questions and hit-the-spot anecdotes provide a great way to get out in front of opportunities we otherwise won't see." -- Geoffrey Moore, author of Crossing the Chasm and Escape Velocity "I've always believed that asking the right questions is the essence of design. Phil McKinney proves that point with this wonderful set of killer questions that will jumpstart-or greatly enhance- your innovation efforts." -- B. Joseph Pine II, co-author, The Experience Economy & Infinite Possibility. "Product Innovation is a prerequisite to building great brands. Phil's questions are a prerequisite to building innovative products." -- Satjiv S. Chahil, former global marketing chief, Apple"